PHILADELPHIA — Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died from measles , the first U.S. deaths this year related to the contagious virus.
With 2,777 cases as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this year already has surpassed 2025’s measles count. “Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness.
“My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,” said state Health Secretary Dr. Decades of widespread vaccinations turned measles cases and deaths into a rarity, causing people to forget that the very contagious virus can be deadly, said Dr. He said that some Cleveland residents have expressed irritation with vaccine-promotion campaigns. “But the time to prevent measles is before the outbreaks happen,” he said. “And the way to do that is clear and consistent and very visible messaging” about the importance of vaccinations.
Debra Bogen. David Margolius, director of Cleveland’s health department and a leader in a coalition of big city health departments.
Trump’s Executive Order on Childhood Vaccinations
Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at revising childhood vaccine recommendations. A key aspect of this order is his support for administering vaccines separately, particularly advocating for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be given as three individual shots. The order encourages healthcare providers to schedule all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever feasible.
The U.S. eliminated local measles spread in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, which have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks. In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status .
The measles surge has coincided with moves by President Donald Trump’s administration to scale back childhood vaccinations, based on concerns — unfounded, according to scientific studies — about vaccine safety.
